Inlet-valve.



E. H. LAWRENCE.

INLET VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1911.

1,287,355. I Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

EDWARD H. LAWRENCE, OE CAMERONJ'WEST VIRGINIA.

INLET-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filedNovember 16, 1917. Serial No. 202,335.

To all whom it may concern Be. it known that I, EDWARD H. LriwRnNoE, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Cameron, county of Marshall, and State of est Virginia, (whose post-oifice address is Cameron, 1V. Va.,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inlet- Valves; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an inlet valve, which is particularly adapted for use in connection with tanks into which the flow of the fluid is automatically regulated. I

An object of the invention resides in the provision of a valve by which the flow of the fluid will be regulated and which will be positive in its action so as to open and close at the proper time.

Furthermore it is an object of the invention to so construct the device that it will be exceedingly simple and consequently its liability of becoming inoperative will be reduced to a minimum.

A still further object of the invention resides in so constructing the device that the pressure of the fluid tends to seatrather than unseat the valve. With these and other objects in view, such as will appear as my description progresses, my invention comprises the combination and arrangement of parts, as set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a tank showing a valve constructed in accordance with my invention located therein, said valve being shown closed and in elevation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view showing the valve unseated, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragment-a1 sectional view on line 3-8 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings I have represented a tank 1, in which the water level is indicated at 2.

Extending up through the bottom of the tank is an inlet tube 3, the joint between the tube and the tank being made Water tight by the gasket 4 and nut 5. This tube 3. is bent back upon itself, as illustrated in Fig. 1, substantially into the form of a goose neck. The end of the tube is bent outwardly at 6, and is provided with a reduced open end 7. The reduction of the diameter of the tube results in the provision of an internal shoulder 8 adjacent to the openv end for the purpose which will-later appear. This tube 3 is made of resilient material so that the tendency of the open end of the tube is to move away from the main body of the tube, that is to say, from that portion which is connected directly to the tank.

Extending from this latter portion of the tube adjacent to the point where it is connected to the tank, is a bracket 9, which is provided with an upwardly extending por tion 10 having an aperture 11 extending therefrom. -This portion 10 carries a casting 12 which is attached by means of a thumbscrew 13, and which is provided with a valve seat 14 of any suitable material, such for instance as rubber. The thumb screw 13 engages the rear face of this seat 14 so as to back the. same up and maintain it in the proper position to be engaged by the valve at the'open end of the tube 3.

The casing 12 also is provided with an arm 15, to which is pivoted at 16, a lever 17. C11 the end of this lever 17 a heavy float 18 is adjustably secured at 19. The opposite end of the lever is provided with a bill 20, which extends downwardlyand into a notch 21, formed between a pair of projections 22 on the upper side of the free end 6 of the tube 3.

When the parts are in the positions illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the valve is closed. The effect of the heavy float 18 is destroyed because of the fact that it is buoyed by the fluid in the tank. The valve at the end of the tube 3 is therefore in engagement with the valve seat. This engagement is brought about by the resiliency of the tube itself and also by the pressure of the fluid within the tube. since the tube, being bent. tends to straighten out under the action of the pressure within the same and since this straightening out of the tube forces the valve into engagement with the valve seat. Furthermore, the lever 17 0perates to seat the valve as the float 18 moves upwardly to its final position. Of course, the flow of the fluid from the valve or the open end of the tube, produces a. certain amount of back pressure since the out going fluid impinges the valve seat 14:. The tendency of this back pressure to prevent the valve from seating is overcome. however, by the presence of the shoulder 8 within the tube, as the pressure within the tube acts 

